Song of Solomon 8:8  We have a little sister, and she hath no breasts: what shall we do for our sister in the day when she shall be spoken for?
9  If she be a wall, we will build upon her a palace of silver: and if she be a door, we will inclose her with boards of cedar.
10  I am a wall, and my breasts like towers: then was I in his eyes as one that found favour.
11  Solomon had a vineyard at Baalhamon; he let out the vineyard unto keepers; every one for the fruit thereof was to bring a thousand pieces of silver.
12  My vineyard, which is mine, is before me: thou, O Solomon, must have a thousand, and those that keep the fruit thereof two hundred.
13  Thou that dwellest in the gardens, the companions hearken to thy voice: cause me to hear it.
14  Make haste, my beloved, and be thou like to a roe or to a young hart upon the mountains of spices.

Yesterday there was another terrorist attack in Israel. Another Muslim took his vehicle and ran down two people and injured others as well. A nineteen year old girl was killed in that attack. The terrorist was finally stopped and he was injured.
There is a report out that the entire nation of France has become a no-go zone. The Muslims have been given so much liberty there, that the country is no longer safe for non-Muslims. They have cancelled New Years eve celebrations across the nation because they have lost control of the situation.
In Canada a young east Indian man was murdered near a university in Toronto. This is part of the legalized unrest that Canada is allowing because we have such bad immigration laws. Those involved in this attack did not come to Canada for a better life. They came to carry on their terrorist activities. They seem to have more liberty to do so in Canada than they had in their home country. Then our P.M. stands before the cameras and tells us that we are stronger when we are united. What should we be united around? We cannot unite around his corrupt plans, because they are ever changing. He knows what he would like to do, but he is clueless in bringing his plan to fruition. The reason being that his plan is so evil and God will not allow him to enact that evil plan.
Every day, God reminds us there are events happening in our world, some not that far from where we live, that show us the need to know Him as Saviour and Lord. The book of the Song of Solomon shows us the sweetness there is in a marriage that is ordained of God. God used this picture to show us the sweetness there is in a true relationship between Jesus Christ and a born again Christian. When a person is truly saved, their marriage will be sweet. Differences will be overcome through humility and surrender to the will of God. Parent/child relationships will be fixed because members will see the importance of submitting to the will of God and when that happens, there will be a genuine love for one another.
It is significant that parents do not choose their children, and children do not choose their parents. God blesses a couple with a child. He knows the nature of that child, but they do not. He gave us His Word through which we can know how to raise that precious gift from Him. Too often we set His Word aside and we try to figure things out on our own. When we do that, disaster is the result. By the grace of God we can fix many of the problems if we are willing to submit to God’s will.
As we see in this book, there is a sweetness in a marriage that is built around knowing the true God. That sweetness must be nourished on our part, but God gives us all the tools needed to nourish it. It is imperative that we submit to His will.
In the closing verses of this book both Solomon and his bride have some concerns. In verse 8 the concern is for the bride’s younger sister. She is just a little girl yet. She has not developed into a young woman yet. The concern is for her future. What will happen to her when a man comes calling for her?
It is important for siblings to take a genuine interest for the well being of younger siblings. In verse 9 Solomon says that if this young girl were a wall, they would make sure that she was well secured and protected. What Solomon is saying is that he would make sure that no harm would come to his sister-in-law. He would make sure that no one would come and take advantage of her or abuse her.
In verse 10 Solomon’s bride reminds him that she is a wall. She has breasts. He had already noticed her and he had admired her. Solomon could not take his eyes off his bride. As we have noted before, God gives us an eye for beauty. Beauty has its place. Yes, a young man might be drawn to the looks of a certain young woman. However, if he is a godly man, he will not be distracted by her outward beauty. He will want to be sure that she has an inner beauty as well. It is the inner beauty that will make the marriage sweet and strong. Of course he also needs to be a man of honour.
I have known people in church, who were looking for daughters for their sons. The family was not a worthy family. Church was not important to them, but they believed they could find good women for their sons in a church. They managed to deceive a couple of fathers into allowing their daughters to marry sons of this family. That was the ruin of those young women. Once they were married, the husbands did not allow their wives to go to church and they ruined them. Fly-by-night men are not worth having. They may dress fine and they may know the lingo, but they do not have a heart after God. Fathers need to be discerning and guard against their daughters being taken in by a smooth talking man who has less than honourable intentions.
In the closing verses we read of the concern of the bride, who wants her groom to make sure he gives her the rightful place she should have in their marriage. She noted that he was so involved in business ventures that he was sleeping in the vineyards rather than coming home to her. Material matters are important, but they should not take precedence to a proper relationship in a marriage.
A good wife will stick by her husband, but it is very selfish for the husband to be so involved in business that he neglects the needs of his wife. She is a person. She is not a piece of property. She desires to know that she is loved. You cannot do that by sending a note or a quick smile now and then. There needs to be time spent building and maintaining a healthy relationship.
God guides a couple into marriage. Since He does that, He will also guide the couple in spending the needed time to make sure the marriage is one of the sweetest things on earth for both of them. Sometimes we can get so involved in chasing after things that we miss the blessing of the value of building a good relationship in a marriage.
We need to keep in mind again that all of this is a picture of Jesus Christ and His body, the true local church. We know that Jesus Christ is never too busy or pre-occupied with things rather than people. The saints need to see the value of building a good relationship with their Groom, the Lord Jesus Christ. There is nothing more important than that we know our Saviour better all the time.
As we have mentioned many times already, too many people have a fictitious Jesus who does not fit the Biblical description of the true Jesus. Be sure you are not being deceived by smooth talking individuals who do not have your best interest in mind. There are soft-hearted people who can talk nicely, but they do not know the truth. The Bible also warns us that we have an imagination through which we can develop a fictitious God and a fictitious Jesus. It is alarming to see how much of the internet is taken up with promoting a fictitious God and Jesus.
Be sure you take a King James Bible and read it for yourself. Surrender to the God of the Bible and be sure you know the true Lord Jesus Christ as your own personal Saviour and Lord. Then be part of a true local church and build your life on the truth. The truth shall make you free. It is a great blessing to know God’s peace and blessing in your heart.
Pastor Bartel